Batteries Not Included

Beep! Beep! The sound is more persistent with each repeated beep. It gets louder and louder until I want to scream, “Be quiet!” I walk around the house stopping in each room to determine where the blare is coming from. It seems like wherever I stand, the racket is somewhere on the other side of the house. Finally, I narrow it down to the smoke detector that is emitting the piercing noise. Thank goodness that this time it didn’t happen in the wee hours of the morning. The smoke detector is too high for me to reach, even with a stepladder. Tim comes to my rescue.

I don’t ever think about the batteries in my smoke detectors until they remind me of their presence, unlike the top-of-mind importance of a battery on Christmas morning. As we opened our presents the one thing that my parents dreaded seeing was the statement, “Batteries not included.” Some battery operated toys that I fondly remember were my:

• Operation game that buzzed and his red nose lit up when I touched the sides as I was performing a major operation.  
  
• Sister Terri’s Drowsy doll that when we pressed her stomach said, “Mommy I’m sleepy,” “I want another drink of water,” and she cackled and laughed—annoyingly. Well, sometimes we wished the battery would run out of juice.

• Chatty Cathy doll that talked when I pulled her string. 

  
• Brownie camera.

• 3D Stereo View master. 

  
• The little stuffed dog that walked on the end of the leash.

• Reel to reel tape recorder. 

  
• Brother’s racecar and train set.

• Transistor radio.  

  
• Pink cardboard kitchen with a stove burner that glowed red.

Today’s gift was to contribute our used batteries to a grade school student. He is collecting batteries as a recycling project. His goal is to educate people about why they shouldn’t throw them in the trash because they will end up in the landfill and pollute the groundwater. I was glad to say, “Batteries are included” and disposed of sustainably.

In Giving,

Robin